The Daughter of Hades and the Dragon Rider
by Kestrel Illusio
Summary: Asher, a daughter of Hades, is banished to Alagaesia and must learn to survive in a strange land on the brink of war. While raising a dragon.
1. Chapter 1

Asher screamed as she fell towards the steep mountainside. She hit the frost covered ground hard and yelped when it gave way underneath her. As she tumbled down the rocky slope, she cursed her father's inability to turn down a chance to show his brothers up. A demigod's life was never easy, but the children of Hades really drew the short straw in that competition.

Asher was the first child of Hades born after the Oath was lifted, a sort of up yours to Zeus and Poseidon from her father. The gods never considered the consequences of their actions. They may have been safe from retribution, but their children were not. Asher had been cheerfully heading towards camp when some super angry immortal lady showed up, ranting about her father doing something or the other. To be honest, once a person started ranting about Hades, Asher tended to zone out. The gods made a lot of enemies.

This particular woman was really lovely in a blonde, blue-eyed supermodel (a bit too perfect), immortal kind of way. Her hair was sort, cut in a messy chin length bob with soft honey brown low-lights and a slight wave. She wore a short lavender sundress and the cutest pair of wedge heels Asher had ever seen. Without warning, the crazy lady throws a glowing blue orb at her and suddenly there is a very confused half-blood plummeting towards the ground. Glowing spheres are never a good sign.

And a demigod should really know better than to be distracted by cute heels.

A solid thump and choked gasping signaled the abrupt end of Asher's impromptu tumble down the rocky mountainside. Once she could breathe again, Asher examined the area she stopped in. It was a dismal sight. Scraggly little bushes and pitiful tufts of brown grass peeked up from the frozen mountainside. The odd pile of slush sheltered in small nooks and crannies, hiding from the weak sunlight. She had never seen mountains in person before, but even so, Asher was sure that the mountain she sat on was unusually large. Actually, the entire range was so enormous that she couldn't see any of the peaks. They were too high. Even the snow stopped before reaching the mountaintops. In fact, the clouds stopped before the top too.

Gradually, Asher became aware of something vitally important. Her dark eyes widened in fear as she realized she could not feel her father's power. Hades was the Lord of the Dead and as such, his realm extended the length and breadth of the entire earth. It was a strange quirk that all children of Hades got used to. Wherever they went, they could feel their father's domain. Either the weird woman had somehow cut Asher off from her birth-right… or she was no longer on Earth.

' _No. Not cut off. Not isolated_.' There was life down in the valley below and in the vegetation around her. If she forced herself to her limit, Asher could feel the life force of the living creatures and the tiny dimness of the plants, which meant that she still had access to her inheritance. She immediately tried to shadow travel to Camp. The shadows wrapped around her like usual but when she stepped out, Asher was still on the same unknown mountain, in the exact same spot she had just tried to leave from.

"Okay, okay, calm down." Asher wheezed putting her head on her knees, "There is nothing to worry about. I'm just currently in the middle of who knows where, on a mountain. On another planet. Oh my gods! What do I do? Oh Tartarus, what kind of idiot half-blood ignores the clearly not mortal weirdo ranting about a god? Stupid, stupid, stupid." Unable to stay still, Asher leap up. "People! I need to find people. People can tell me where I am. And I'm talking out loud to myself like a crazy person." She muttered as she set off down the steep slope towards the verdant valley below. After all, it would be easier to survive in the valley with the hope of water and food than on the mountain where there were clearly none.

It took Asher until the late afternoon to reach the foot of the mountain. I would have taken much longer but Asher slid down much of the mountain on her bottom due to the dangerously steep incline in some places. She was dirty, thirsty and really in need of a bath when she heard the gurgle of running water. Smiling, she dashed through the thickening forest towards the sound.

Unfortunately, in her enthusiasm, Asher was not watching her footing and promptly tripped less than an arm's length from the tiny stream. This meant she landed face first in the icy water. She gasped in shock, inhaled a mouthful of sweet, clear liquid and immediately began coughing and spluttering in the middle of the brook. ' _I really hope no one saw that.'_ Asher thought in embarrassment.

After she had managed to climb out the stream, soaking wet and shivering, she glanced around for the tree root that had tripped her up. Only, there was no root. All she could see was a smoothly curved silver rock about the size of her hand sticking up through the forest floor. It was a pretty stone, Asher had to admit as she glared at it. The smoky silver swirled around the stone, reminding her of an opal. Curious, she bent to pick it up and nearly swore when her hand touched the top. It was alive.

The life force coming from the stone was a strange one Asher had never felt before, but it was definitely emanating from the stone which meant the stone was actually an egg of some sort. Asher felt it hum in the back of her mind, a faint vibration unlike anything else. Carefully she began to dig around the weird egg. It was much bigger than she had thought, about the length of her fore arm and the width of her hand at its narrower end. It was also quite heavy and the silvery swirling pattern covered its entire surface area. As she cradled the hard, rock-like egg in her arms, Asher knew two things.

One, whatever creature laid the egg was massive.

Two, the egg had lain in the undergrowth for a very, very long time.

Once again, the hum vibrated in the back of her mind. Suspiciously, Asher eyed the egg,

"You can hear my thoughts, can't you?" She frowned as the egg throbbed in response to her voice. Whatever was in the egg was clearly scary intelligent. Asher was suddenly not sure she wanted to know what would hatch from the egg. The pulse in reply to her apprehension was definitely trying to be comforting. Still watching the egg carefully, Asher gently placed it on the grass beside the hole it had come from.

As soon as her hands left the egg, the quiver in the back of her mind faded. Now that she knew the egg was alive, Asher could feel it just like the trees around her. There, but not truly conscious, yet.

"I wonder what you'll feel like once you've hatched." She mused to the silver stone egg.

Over the next couple of days, Asher went about ensuring her survival, making camp beside the river, as well as foraging for edible plants and hunting. Asher silently thanked her overprotective brother for insisting all her weapons be disguised as jewellery and for ensuring that she really had far too many of them for any kind of emergency. She had a Greek Stygian iron sword disguised as a ring, as well as a second ring from her cousin which turned into a Hunter's silver knife and a bracelet which could become a celestial bronze shield. Then there were the imperial gold daggers disguised as earrings from her sister and the necklace that transformed into a bow and quiver of arrows which always returned to the quiver so she never ran out (from her brother's boyfriend).

All in all, Asher had to be one of the best armed demigods alive. She supposed it was a consequence of the wars her brother's generation had survived – they were all a little overprotective. Not that Asher was complaining, in fact she sacrificed a little of her food every night in thanks to the gods. Her family's anxiety ensured her survival in this strange land. The bow and arrows meant she could hunt, although skinning and gutting her kills was something she had to learn quickly from trial and error. It also meant that Asher was never defenseless however much she may look it. Appearances are deceiving after all.

It was pure luck that the egg hatched just as Asher returned from hunting late one afternoon. She had just cleaned a pair of rabbits to cook for her dinner when a loud squeak rang through the tiny camp. She jerked her head around to stare at the egg too quickly and immediately winced at the protest in her neck.

The egg had a few, large, jagged fractures running along its length and numerous spider-web cracks splintering off the main fault. As Asher watched, more splinters ran around the egg, accompanied by sharp cracks. Realizing that whatever baby creature crawled out would be ravenous, Asher grabbed some berries and placed them beside the egg. Wondering if maybe the infant would be carnivorous rather than vegetarian, Asher pulled out one of her earrings and used the dagger it turned into to cut some strips from one of the rabbits.

She placed the meat in carefully separated strips next to the egg, opposite the berries. Asher moved away from the meat just as the creature finally made its way out of the egg. It was as shinning a silver as the egg that had protected it. However, it was also very obviously… a dragon. Four tiny clawed feet attached to small, scaled legs and a long, whip-like tail connected to a torso the size of her hand-span. Two bat-like wings the size of Asher's hand waved gently to dry the delicate membrane as a petite wedge-shaped head turned on a slender silver neck.

The baby dragon (dragonet?) ignored the fruit and greedily pounced on the meat while Asher watched from nearby. The pieces of rabbit were devoured quickly. Asher smiled in amusement as the baby gorged itself and quietly began to cut up more rabbit meat. Warily, she placed it as close to the infant carnivore as she dared.

The dragon's stomach was bulging before it stopped scoffing down the strips of meat. Asher smirked as it eyed another piece of meat,

"I'll be impressed if you get that one down too." She muttered to herself. The dragon's tiny head snapped up to her face. Asher sat still as the dragon cautiously moved towards her. As the small silver dragon gradually moved towards her, Asher slowly stretched her left hand out. Instead of sniffing her, as she had thought it would, the dragon head butted her hand.

Ice flashed through Asher's veins as a blast of energy so cold it burned seared throughout her body, freezing her muscles and burning her mind. Hissing, Asher breathed methodically through her teeth until the pain receded. Unfortunately, it was quickly replaced with an intense itch exactly where she had touched the dragon. As she watched, a shimmery, oval scar formed in the dead center of her palm.

A high pitched whine and an uncomfortable itch in the back of her mind turned her attention back to the baby dragon. The poor creature looked at her in such woebegone misery as it tried to scratch its head that she had to laugh even as the itch faded from her mind. The dragon was no longer a pristine silver. Just as it had marked Asher with its touch, so too had Asher marked the dragon. Now, a black star blazed proudly on its forehead.

"Well, I guess I could always call you Blaze," Asher joked, not even considering not keeping the youngling. A feeling of sleepy discontent made her giggle with mild hysteria. Dragons were not numerous by any means, drakons clashed with demigods far more often, but they were still considered extremely dangerous. They were normally used to guard valuable objects, like Peleus, the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece at Camp Half-Blood. Somehow, Asher got the feeling that the little creature, no bigger than a large cat, would not be happy acting like a glorified guard dog.

The unnamed dragon clambered over and up Asher until it could rest on her shoulder. Curling its tail gently around her neck, it drifted off to sleep, content with a full stomach. Knowing that babies tend to wake up hungry, Asher closed her eyes and joined it in the realm of Morpheus, completely forgetting that she hadn't eaten, even though the baby had.

Across the continent, a young farm boy struggled to care for a brilliant blue dragon hatchling.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own either the Inheritance Cycle or Percy Jackson Series.

Please feel free to review.


	2. Chapter 2

"How about Azra? It means pure. No? Hunter? Roxanne? Really? I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I quite liked Luka, you know." Asher sent a reproachful glance at the tiny, still nameless, silver dragon. Truthfully, she didn't know whether it was male or female and was just offering up a list of names in the hope that the hatchling would respond to one it liked. She was no closer to a name than she had been nearly three weeks ago when the name game had started.

"You don't like any of the names I've come up so far. I swear, you're almost as picky as my father. How Persephone puts up with him I don't know. At least I don't have to work with him like Thanatos does. No wonder the guy can't take a joke."

The sudden warmth and _rightness_ stopped her muttering in surprise. Asher frowned towards the young reptile in confusion, a state that was sadly becoming far too familiar these days.

"What?" An unblinking silver stare answered her, followed by a feeling of exasperation. How a tiny, young thing like that was exasperated with her, Asher didn't know. "Persephone?" She tried tentatively only to receive, thankfully, another negative answer. ' _Oh, no. Please, please, please don't be –'_

"Thanatos?" A small affirmative chirp and happy feeling flooding her mind from the gleaming hatchling, "You want to be named after the god of Death?" Asher whined in dismay.

She tried very hard, but Thanatos was as stubborn as his namesake was dedicated to collecting souls. The only compromise he would allow Asher was shortening his name to Than. It wasn't that Asher actually disliked name or the god in question, she just found the names of the Greek gods annoying. A sort of Pavlov response to being sent on quests and spending a ridiculous amount of her time running for her life from which ever monster of the day was trying (and totally failing, for the record) to kill her.

Asher found the days blurring together in a monotonous repetition of hunt, cook, eat, and sleep. With Than growing so quickly, he required more and more meat to eat, which meant that Asher was hunting more and more just to keep up, often utilising her powers to find prey. Than made this easier on her by learning to hunt larger game as quickly as he could. The odd goat-like creatures that wondered around the massive mountains made decent enough meals if Than and Asher could catch them.

One benefit Asher had found in her unintended banishment, apart from her new companion, was the significant lack of demi-god dreams. Since her arrival, Asher hadn't had a single true dream like she used to. There had been unusual dreams, flashes of colour (a stunning blue), but no actual prophetic or informative dreams. She was grateful for the reprieve, although she didn't expect it to continue much longer.

Months passed in this peaceful haze. But, as Asher had known it would, it soon came to an end.

Than was already larger than a small hell hound when the calm, serenity of their life changed irrevocably.

Asher's clothes were wearing out, but it was only when her jeans ripped that she realised how bad her clothing situation was. Her top was almost falling apart and she had abandoned her worn shoes weeks before. With a sigh, she turned towards the large silver dragon lazing in the gentle morning sunlight.

"Than, do you think you could try catch me something relatively large? I need the hide. I'm going to try tanning it."

' _Why would you need to do that?'_ Than queried as Asher tried to figure out what she would need to actually tan a hide. The idle reptilian didn't even twitch a muscle while she inspected her insufficient attire.

' _I need more clothes, Than. It's starting to get cooler at night and not everyone has scales to protect them from the rigors of life in the mountains, you know.'_ She muttered back mentally.

Tanning hides was not something Asher had ever thought about at camp. If a new camper needed a leather necklace, one was provided. It had never occurred to her to wonder where the leather had come from and now she was preparing to try making clothes herself. Or at least leather to wrap around herself to keep warm.

Than finally consented to find her a large creature to skin, but only after grumbling about human weaknesses and the uselessness of skin as opposed to scales. Asher had huffed in amused exasperation. It was a common tease from her partner and not something she would ever let him change. Life could get difficult in the dark times and his humour would help both of them cope with the adversity they might face in the future.

The thump of a large creature brought her out of her thoughts. Than had quickly delivered what she needed and Asher sent him a grateful smile as she set about skinning the strange creature. She was sure she needed to massage the brains into the hide while stretching it, though she couldn't quite remember where she got that titbit of information from, or even if it was true.

Absently, Asher wondered if she would have enough leather left over from her experimenting to make a saddle for Than. He was adamant that he would soon be big enough for her to ride and Asher really, really wanted to soar through the skies with him. Especially since the skies here were not the domain of Zeus, who would be more likely to blast her out of the sky than ignore her audacity. She had never even flown a pegasus, since they didn't like her, but now she finally had a chance to soar through the clouds without fear.

Once the animal had been skinned and Asher had collected the brain matter and the fat (just in case), Asher began her search for some sturdy branches to begin stretching the hide. _'Gods, I hope this works.'_ She thought to herself as she spied a tree with decent sized branches. Unfortunately, the tree was of a kind that Asher didn't recognise and unbeknownst to her, was mildly poisonous. In breaking off and stripping the selected branches of leaves, she managed to get herself covered in sticky sap. Deciding that making leather was more important, Asher simply rinsed her hands and ignored the rest of the sap all over her in favour of getting to work.

It wasn't until Asher swiped some hair out of her face with the back of her forearm, that things got dangerous. The sap from her arm was transferred to her face and as she sweated over her work, it trickled into her eyes. At first, she ignored the slight prickle, thinking it was nothing more than perspiration, but as it grew worse into agonising pain, she realised her mistake.

Thanatos opened a single molten silver eye to watch as Asher dashed towards the stream beside their camp. Hurriedly, she splashed water into her eyes in a belated effort to wash out the sap.

' _What's wrong, Asher?'_ inquired Than with concern from his spot in the sunshine. He could feel a soft echo of the stinging she was experiencing.

' _Just something in my eyes. Probably some sap from the tree. I've washed it out so it shouldn't be a problem.'_ Than peered carefully into her eyes,

' _I don't see anything in your eyes, so why are they still hurting?'_ he asked bluntly.

' _It'll stop soon. I'll be perfectly fine.'_ Asher reassured.

Asher's eyes didn't stop hurting. Over the following days, the pain lessened to a continual burn, as if she were tired and in desperate need of sleep. Than was worried about the continued pain, but Asher kept maintaining that it would soon pass. In fact, the situation grew worse as Asher began tripping over things and walking into tree branches. This caused both Than and Asher quite a bit of distress as her balance seemed to be affected by the burning in her eyes.

In the end, it was Thanatos who figured out the real problem,

' _Asher, watch out for that tree!'_ Asher paused in confusion,

' _What tree?'_ she asked, squinting as she tried to see what Than was talking about. Than felt icy fingers of apprehension slide down the length of his back all the way to his tail tip.

' _Asher, can you see the branch beside you?'_ Asher glanced to the left and shook her head. The branch was on her right.

' _What about the puddle next to me?'_ Negative. _'The shrub over on your left?'_

"Of course I can see the shrub Than." Asher replied, her impatience showing in her voice, but Thanatos could tell she was trying to hide something from him.

' _Humour me. Do you see the little white flowers on it?'_

' _Yes Than, I see the stupid flowers.'_

' _Asher… There aren't any flowers on the shrub.'_

'… _There aren't?'_ Than shook his head sorrowfully, a motion that Asher could only see due to his bright scales reflecting the sunlight.

' _Asher, I think you're losing your sight.'_ The devastation he felt from his rider nearly broke his heart. Had they been with the Dragon Rider Order, he was sure someone would have been able to save her sight, but they weren't. They were alone with no one else to rely on and neither of them knew a way to heal Asher's eyes. She would have to rely on her paternal powers to 'see' in the most basic way, but over using that power would kill her. Most devastating to Thanatos was that his rider would never see the brilliant colours of the sunrise as they flew through the skies.

It took two weeks for Asher to completely lose her sight. She finished making her leather, but it was a hollow victory, soured by her failing eyes. AS her sight continued to dim, she grew more and more depressed. Upset at her ignorant mistake and angry at herself, she took her frustration out on Than. Understanding the emotions and fears behind her actions, Thanatos simply comforted her through her tears and poked at her temper until she released the bottled up storm.

' _Why won't you just leave me alone?! I don't want you here. Go away.'_

' _Absolutely not. You're as helpless as a new-born hatchling. You haven't even eaten anything I've brought you in two days. How can I leave you alone?'_ The silver dragon eyed his rider in irritation over her refusal to eat. She needed the sustenance.

' _I'm not hungry.'_ She denied as her sightless eyes looked away from him.

' _Do not lie to me, Asher! I am the other half of your heart, mind and soul. I can feel your hunger. You will eat today if I have to shove raw meat down your throat with my own claws.'_ Asher's short temper flared alongside Than's,

' _What would you do is it was one of your clutch mates starving themselves?'_ Asher paused as Than's words sank in. What would she do in that situation? What would her siblings think of her behaviour now? They would be ashamed of her temper tantrums and the horrid way she had been treating her partner. She was better than she had been acting.

Than felt the understanding flow through his companion and quietly sighed in relief. She would recover from this and be even stronger for it. Content with Asher's new found determination to be more positive, he set off to find fresh meat for her.

Far away, across the deserts and plains, a young rider received a prophecy from a strange herbalist and advice from a were-cat.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own either Inheritance Cycle or the Percy Jackson series.


	3. Chapter 3

Learning to see without her eyes took some getting used to. No longer could Asher see colours, instead she 'saw' the life-force of the world around her, the darting vitality of the insects and animals, the somnolent energy of the slow-growing trees. She felt the fresh mountain breeze on her skin and smelt the calm scent of rain and the sharp tang of lightening, heard the rolling crackle of thunder and the steady throb of Than's wing beats. But she could see none of it through her own eyes.

To compensate for her missing eyes, Than had taken to drawing her deep within his own mind until neither could tell where rider became dragon, he became she, and blind became seeing. The first time Asher saw through Thanatos' eyes, she was enchanted. He had been showing her a memory of his first flight and watching the sunset from above the clouds. Asher had been so enthralled that she strained after the memory and suddenly was faced with her own serene face, eyes closed with a small smile.

The surprise she felt came from the both of them, but control of their sightline belonged to Thanatos alone. He saw in so many more shades than Asher had once done, and so, so much further than she could have imagined.

' _How do you even comprehend all this?'_ Asher stared through Than's eyes at the soaring birds three mountains away. Than rumbled in amusement,

' _I have never known any other way of seeing. How do you sense the life around you?'_ Asher pursed her lips in a contemplative frown, she had never thought about how her powers worked. They had always been there and she sensed the cycle of life and death around her on an instinctual level, it wasn't a conscious effort.

' _It's like breathing.'_ She replied, _'I don't think about it, it's just there, you know? When I want to find something in particular, I have to concentrate and separate it from the white noise of the background. That's what makes my father's power so dangerous for his children. We can sense all the life and death around us all the time, but actively using our power is… draining. If we use too much, too often, we start to become part of it. My brother nearly did when he was younger than I am now. He always made me promise not to use what I inherited if I didn't need to.'_

As happy as Asher was to be able to see through her partner's eyes, there were still limitations. Asher could see only what Than was looking at, something he found amusing since Asher's attention was often side tracked but he wouldn't even notice whatever caught her fancy. Another downside was relearning how to eat and care for herself since she couldn't spend every second of the day watching out of Than's eyes like she wished. Unfortunately, this lead to a vast well of amusement for the dragon as Asher often missed her mouth with her food or drink the first few days. She also tripped over stones constantly since they had no life-force for her to sense and Than didn't pay attention to such miniscule things as the ground his rider walked on. Not unless Asher specifically asked him to.

Than was growing every day and was soon big enough that Asher felt sure he could carry her safely. She had refused to ride on his back until she was absolutely positive doing so would not harm him. The two soon discovered there was nothing they enjoyed more than flying with each other and soaring through the untamed sky. Asher loved it, despite her terror that Zeus would strike her down for her audacity the first time she climbed onto Than's back. Not to mention the scrapes she got on her legs from riding bareback on his sharp scales; Asher very quickly learnt to fashion a crude hide saddle for her own comfort. Now, not a single day went by that the two did not go flying together at least once. It truly was the highlight of Asher's day and watching the clouds slip by through Than's eyes was strangely calming.

On one particular day, some months after losing her sight, Asher and Than were flying idly over their valley home looking for meat. Than was eager to show off his hard-earned hunting skills. Asher smiled indulgently while Than searched for a meal big enough for the both of them. He had spotted several different creatures, but none of them sufficient for a meal.

Looking through Than's eyes at the thriving valley below, Asher decided to help find an animal substantial enough to feed Than. Without withdrawing from Than's mind, Asher harnessed her father's powers. The sensory overload overwhelmed her so long that it was several minutes before she realised exactly what she had done. By that time, Than had landed and was watching her in concern.

She could see.

It wasn't like before, Asher didn't have her sight back, but she could look around herself without having to rely on Thanatos.

' _How did you do that?'_ Than asked in amazement as he looked through Asher's eyes. It wasn't seeing, but it was sight.

' _I really don't know how exactly, but it's not as draining as looking through your eyes or using my powers.'_ Asher laughed aloud in delight as she spun in a circle, the colours around her swirling in vivid hues her human eyes could never see. _'I think I've combined our abilities – your eyesight and my powers. It's better than before, Than. I can see so much further! There's one of those huge creatures you like so much hidden behind some bushes on that mountain. I couldn't even see or sense half that distance before!'_ Asher's delight and the promise of a good meal affected Than's mood and his worry melted into gladness as the two of them hunted down the delicious four-legged animal.

The dream started with vivid flashes of bright blue. Asher felt anxious and restless, she itched to be there, protecting something, or was it someone? The urge to tear down the offending walls was so strong, she had taken a step before she topped herself. She would not be any help at the moment and could be captured herself. She glanced once again at the wretched walls keeping her out. Nothing had changed and neither her sensitive hearing, nor her mind had caught a call for aid. Worried and antsy, she resumed her pacing across the tiny clearing.

Asher frowned as she stared towards the strange town. The apprehension she felt wasn't her own. It wasn't until the blue dragon suddenly swept open her wings and leapt into the sky that Asher even realised she was having a demigod dream. The female had been worried about something, so much so, that she had been projecting her anxiety into the immediate area. Asher wondered what a dragon had to fear and how on earth she hadn't noticed the giant fire-breathing reptile behind her. Strangely, her surroundings changed, and she found herself and the she-dragon on top of a fortress. Asher watched as the unknown dragon tore apart the ceiling and half disappeared into the hole. Out of curiosity, Asher peered down through the jagged hole. Down below was what appeared to be a dining hall, but it was the two teenage boys and the unconscious girl surrounded by soldiers that Asher paid attention to. The dragon roared a challenge and forced her way into the hall. One of the boys immediately when to greet her, while his darker friend pulled the girl towards the dragon.

Asher watched as the boys pushed the sleeping girl onto the dragon's saddle and clambered on. They were obviously in a hurry, but took the time to carefully secure the girl's position. As they did so, Asher noticed the girl's pointed ears for the first time. Did that make the girl an elf, or a large fairy, or was the term just fey? Asher wondered if the folk lore and fairy tales of her homeland even applied to this new land or not. As she stood lost in thought, the dragon and her passengers jumped onto the roof. Just as the dream began to fade, Asher heard a boy's urgent voice telling 'Saphira' to take off.

' _Another dragon? And a female at that. You're sure? How accurate are your dreams usually?'_ Asher yawned as she sat leaning against Than. Perhaps she should have waited until she was more awake to tell her partner about her dream.

' _Pretty sure, she was projecting her emotions quite strongly. I didn't even notice the stress wasn't mine until she flew off. Demigod dreams are usually fairly accurate, they're basically visions. I mean you're not likely to have prophetic dreams that often, unless you have the gift of prophecy, which I don't. And you get the odd seriously strange homicidal green teddy bear nightmare.'_ Than looked at her with confused concern, but Asher quickly moved on,

' _The visions are usually about something that's happening now. My brother told me once that it was the gods' way of warning their children of danger.'_

Thanatos ruffled his wings in thought and Asher took the opportunity to compare his growth to the blue dragon's from her dream. The most obvious difference, apart from her blue to his silver colouring, was the blaze of black Than sported on his brow. As he grew, the black seemed to spread slightly and rather than detracting from it, the black highlights only emphasised his stunning silver shade. The blue dragon seemed a smidgeon larger than Than, but since Asher didn't know when she hatched, it could be that she was simply older than he. Somehow, Asher felt that Thanatos was more emotionally mature than the blue she-dragon. What gave her the impression, she couldn't say, but perhaps Asher was just biased towards Thanatos. He was the best looking dragon she had ever seen and she had seen Ladon, the hundred-headed guardian of the Apples of Immortality.

' _Asher.'_ Than began in a solemn tone, _'If we ever meet this other dragon and her Rider, don't let them know I'm male.'_ Asher opened her mind wider to Thanatos, inviting him in further. Than felt her inquisitiveness, along with a general feeling that let him know she wouldn't pry if he wished to keep his reasons to himself.

' _I don't know how long I was in my egg, waiting for you. The passage of time continued and nothing caught my interest, but I know there should be more dragons. In the time since I hatched, we've seen no other dragons or Riders when my ancestral memory tells me there should be many. I think something happened to the dragons and that's why we've been so alone. I don't want to meet this female and have her expect me to sire hatchlings with her or the other way around. I want to choose my own mate, not have circumstance choose her for me. If she is truly the last female, she must prove she is worthy of continuing our race, worthy of being the mother of all future generations. Just as I must prove my worth to her as a mate, so too must she prove her worth to me.'_

' _You don't want anyone to know you're male because you don't want to be pressured into a relationship?'_ Asher summed up cautiously. _'I think I get your reasons, and I can talk in the third person without using pronouns if I'm careful, but I don't know if I want to meet anyone. We have been isolated and I've gotten used to that. I don't know if I'm ready to be a part of society again. I don't know the rules. The people in my dream weren't dressed like I'm used to and the technology looked pretty medieval.'_

' _I will be beside you always. You are me and I am you. Nothing will ever change that, partner of my heart-and-mind.'_ Thanatos replied with affection. Asher's gratitude shone through her smile, but she still felt anxious at the thought of returning to civilisation and people.

To distract his rider, Thanatos persuaded her to fly with him almost all the time. It was during one of their longer flights that Than noticed the strange new creatures marching towards a valley. Tall, horned, brutal-looking and clearly inhuman, they made Thanatos uncomfortable. It took a long moment of intense concentration before Than identified why; the creatures marched in creepy unison. Asher sent an inquiring thought as he pointed them out to her, but he didn't know what they were called any more than she did. He had no memories that named these creatures.

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, both the dragon and his rider remained high above the moving army. Far enough that the air was thin and they were unlikely to be noticed, but close enough to keep an eye on the majority of the strange soldiers. Asher was particularly uneasy and insisted that they continue monitoring the small army, at least until they knew what it was for. The two followed the disturbing humanoid creatures for several days, leaving their valley and hunting grounds behind.

The army lead them to a large camp, spread over most of a valley. Asher and Than watched from a nearby mountain peak as the entire army slowly moved underground through the remains of a collapsed tunnel. The huge brutes that they had followed had joined up with smaller versions of their species, as well as a significant portion of human soldiers. Asher wondered who the army would be fighting but there was no way for her or Than to find out. They could not walk into the camp, nor could they track the army through the tunnel without running the risk of being seen by scouts.

As it was, Asher felt anxious about their proximity to the army. She refused point blank to track the soldiers using her power as Than flew above. It was possible, in theory, but Asher was unwilling to take any chance that put Than in unnecessary danger. Once the substantial army was completely hidden underground, Asher and Than turned towards their home valley.

It was the distant roar of a dragon that first caught their attention. Asher had been curled up under Than's wing when he suddenly woke her and ordered her onto his back. Still half asleep, Asher had hastily shoved her makeshift saddle onto Than's back before she dragged herself up into position. Thanatos leapt into the air before she was ready and she had to grab one of his neck spikes in order to stay on.

The cold air woke Asher up quickly and the rising death toll she could feel Than heading towards ensured that she didn't fall back to sleep. A roar of pain sounded above the distant noise of battle.

' _Make your choice Asher, Daughter of Hades. Either we turn back now, or we fight in that battle.'_

' _No,'_ Asher disagreed as she shook her head, _'We fight in that war. If we join in that battle, we will not be allowed to walk away until the war is won.'_ Asher knew she and Thanatos had nothing to do with the battle that was being fought just behind the mountain they flew towards, she didn't even know what the fight was about or how many sides there were.

She did know that somewhere on the other side of that mountain, a dragon was in pain. She also knew that if she really wanted, Thanatos would leave with her and spend the rest of their lives regretting the choice not to help another dragon. There was no choice. Not one that would let her and her partner live their lives in peace and far away from the conflict they flew towards.

' _We will not be anyone's pawns. We will control our fate, no one else will make our choices and if they want our help, they must accept our independence. Help the dragon, Than.'_


End file.
